2 men fighting for same job claim discrimination. One is black, one is white.

PLAINFIELD -- The city's fire chief, who is the subject of a lawsuit from his deputy chief alleging racial discrimination, last week filed his own claim of discrimination and a conspiracy to kick him out of the department.

Plainfield officials have repeatedly tried to persuade Fire Chief Frank Tidwell to retire so they can replace him with Deputy Chief Jeffrey Courtney, Tidwell alleges in a tort claim filed June 1.

Tidwell, who is black and 62 years old, says Public Safety Director Carl Riley and other city officials conspired to try to end his employment so Courtney, who is white and about 50 years old, can serve as the chief.

The tort claim, which is not a lawsuit but threatens legal action, comes two years after Courtney filed a lawsuit claiming Tidwell has tried to block him from becoming the chief after Tidwell retires because he is white.

The legal battle is not the first time Tidwell has been the subject of controversy. In 2012, he was charged with drunk driving while operating a Plainfield-owned car in neighboring South Plainfield.

Two years later, the Plainfield Fire Officers' Association voted they had "no confidence" in Tidwell's ability to lead the department, calling him divisive and demanding that he resign.

Tidwell was the subject of two other no-confidence votes, according to a high-ranking city employee who is aware of the infighting and requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Tidwell alleges in his tort claim that he was the subject of disparate treatment, a hostile work environment, the undermining of his authority and responsibilities as fire chief, the refusal to investigate his complaints, petty acts of harassment and bogus disciplinary investigations.

The conspiracy to kick out Tidwell, who has served in the department for 37 years and been the chief since 2011, began when he opposed "a racially motivated promotional plan" by outgoing Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs to make a black firefighter a captain over four white firefighters ahead of him on the promotional list, according to the tort claim.

Robinson-Briggs did not immediately respond to a call requesting comment.

Newly elected Mayor Adrian Mapp then appointed Riley to be the public safety director, and the two tried to clean out supporters of the former administration, according to the claim.

Tidwell, "because of his age and his unpopularity with the firefighter's union due to his opposition to the promotional plan, was an easy target," the claim says.

Tidwell also alleges in the claim that the city has repeatedly declined to investigate his complaints that he was being discriminated against and pushed out for political reasons.

David Minchello, Plainfield's corporation counsel, said the city was reviewing the tort claim.

"Preliminarily, it appears as if there is a longstanding dispute between our fire chief and the deputy fire chief," Minchello said Wednesday. "The administration will continue to try to resolve the disputes between these gentlemen where they can."

Minchello added that he found the timing of the tort claim suspicious because it was filed a few days before the primary election in which voters chose Mapp as Plainfield's Democratic mayoral nomination. No Republicans have filed to run against him.

Minchello declined to comment on the allegation that the city had refused to investigate Tidwell's prior complaints to the administration.

The tort claim names the city, Courtney, Riley, Mapp, City Adminstrator Rick Smiley, the Department of Public Affairs and Safety, and 10 unnamed people as potential defendants in a lawsuit. None responded to requests for comment.

Tidwell says in the tort claim that Riley told him in February that he was sorry he had undermined Tidwell's authority and would let him run the fire department without interference. Riley also said Courtney was "no good," according to the claim.

In March, Tidwell got a thumb drive with audio recordings of conversations between Courtney and Riley that showed them conspiring to make false accusations against Tidwell and to offer him an ultimatum to retire or to face criminal charges and be fired, the tort claim says.

The recordings, which were part of discovery in Courtney's lawsuit, "confirm what was already apparent -- that Respondent (the city officials) would stop at nothing to rid themselves" of Tidwell, according to the tort claim.

Tidwell is requesting $2.5 million in damages but says the extent of his injuries is ongoing and will continue to be revealed through discovery.

Staff reporter Jessica Remo contributed reporting.
